INSPECTION OF FRONT INTERIOR DOOR HANDLES AND REPLACEMENT (IF NECESSARY)

Saturn has decided that certain 2000 model year L-Series vehicles have been produced with front-interior door handles that were constructed of a polymer material that may result in premature peeling of the chrome plating or breakage.

To prevent the possibility of this condition occurring, Retailers will inspect the front-interior door handles, and, if necessary replace the front-interior door handle assemblies.

Only selected 2000 model year L-Series Saturn vehicles within the following VIN range will require this campaign:

YY600001 - YY703675

You must verify campaign involvement through your AS400 system. It is important to note that campaign claims will only be paid on involved vehicles.

Owners of all involved vehicles will be notified of the campaign by Saturn. (Refer to the owner letter included in this bulletin.)

A list of vehicles assigned to you (Facility VIN Listing), which our records indicate were sold by or shipped to you, (or are located in close proximity to your facility) is enclosed.

This listing contains:

The Facility VIN Listing (with owner information) is furnished to involved Retailers with the Product Campaign Bulletin. Although these vehicles are assigned to your facility, it is important to note that owners may elect to have their vehicle serviced at the Saturn Retail Facility of their choice.

Those Retailers not involved initially in this campaign will receive a message at the top of a blank Facility VIN Listing that states: NO VEHICLES ASSIGNED AT THIS TIME FOR CAMPAIGN 01-C-06.

These listings may contain owner names and addresses obtained from State Motor Vehicle Registration Records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any other purpose is a violation of the law in several states. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this listing to the follow up necessary to complete this campaign. Those records updated with the California DMV registration information will have the following message printed adjacent to the appropriate VIN: "OWNER INFORMATION UPDATED BY CALIFORNIA DMV; PUBLICATION PROHIBITED."

All unsold vehicles in Retailers’ possession and subject to this campaign must be held at the retail facility and repaired per the service procedure of this campaign bulletin before owners take possession of these vehicles.

Retailers are to service all vehicles subject to this campaign at no charge to owners, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership, from this time forward.

Owners of vehicles recently sold from your vehicle inventory are to be contacted by the Retailer and arrangements made to make the required correction according to the procedure contained in this bulletin.

In summary, whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign enters your vehicle inventory, or is in your retail facility for service in the future, please take the steps necessary to be sure the campaign correction has been made before selling or releasing the vehicle.

Saturn vehicles that have been sold by you, which may be closer in proximity to another Saturn Retailer, may still appear on your Facility VIN Listing. If either you or the vehicle owner determines that it is more desirable for a vehicle on your Facility VIN Listing to be serviced by another Saturn Retailer, or if the customer’s address has recently changed, campaign responsibility may be transferred by completing the following:

A copy of the Campaign Vehicle Action Report is included for your reference. Additional copies can be ordered from Saturn Publications (1-800-828-2112, prompt 3, Item # S0397050). All changes to campaign responsibility will be reflected in your next Unfixed VIN Report.

All other changes in vehicle status (e.g., scrapped, stolen, etc.) are to be made in accordance with section 4.4.3 of the Retailer Service Reference Guide, "Notifying Saturn of Vehicle Status Change."

A pre-shipment of door handles required to perform this campaign has been automatically sent to most Retailers from Saturn Service Parts Operations (SSPO). These initial parts shipments are to aid the Retailers in campaign preparation and will ensure minimal customer inconvenience. Most Retailers currently have stocking policies on these parts, however stocking policies will be adjusted based on Retailer demand.

Should additional parts be required, please order as necessary.

Retailers will scrap all replaced parts in a manner that ensures that they cannot be reused, remanufactured, or otherwise entered into the stream of commerce in the future.

As you know, Saturn’s success hinges upon our ability to execute superior customer support throughout the ownership experience, especially when important corrective actions such as this are required.

It is imperative that every effort is made to accommodate the affected owners. Additionally, priority should be given to customer vehicles over retail inventory vehicles. If you have any questions, please coordinate with the Saturn Customer Assistance Center to help ensure customer satisfaction.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

Important: It is possible to have a different manufacturer on each of the front door handles. Therefore, both left and right front door handles should be inspected before being replaced.

1. Using a small flat-bladed screwdriver, disengage the power door lock switch (or cover on non-power door lock vehicles) to expose the back of the inside door handle.



2. Using a flashlight or other light source view through the door lock switch mounting hole, inspect for presence of three reinforcement ribs molded in the door handle mounting plate as shown in Figure A.




•	If the reinforcement ribs are present as shown in the Figure A, the inside door handle does not require replacement. Install power door lock switch (or cover on non-power door lock vehicles).

•	If the ribs are not present as shown in Figure B, continue to "Front Inside Door Handle Replacement" procedure in this bulletin for inner door handle replacement.

3. Affix Campaign Completion Label on a clean and dry surface of radiator core support, in an area clearly visible when hood is raised. (For more information, refer to "CAMPAIGN COMPLETION LABEL" in this bulletin.)

1. Starting at the top, pull on door handle grip to disengage grip from handle and expose door handle fastener.
2. On power equipped vehicles, disconnect power door lock switch wiring harness and remove switch.
3. Using a small flat blade screwdriver, gently pry on tweeter speaker cover to remove speaker cover and expose attaching fastener.



4. On driver’s side, using a small flat blade tool, disengage power mirror switch (or cover on non-power mirror vehicles).
5. On driver’s side with power mirrors, disconnect power mirror switch connector and remove power mirror switch.



6. Pull gently to remove mirror patch to expose door handle fastener.
7. Remove door handle fasteners and while holding the inner door handle away from the door trim pad, disconnect tweeter speaker harness.



8. Remove lower door trim panel fasteners.
9. On manual window vehicles, remove window crank handle.
10. Using a door pad removal tool, disengage door trim side retainers.
11. Lift upward on door trim panel to disengage the panel from the door structure at the top end of the panel.
12. On vehicles with illuminated door trim pad, while holding the door panel away from the door structure, disconnect the wiring harness.
13. While holding the door panel away from the door structure, disconnect the door illumination light wiring harness.
14. Remove door trim panel.



15. Remove water deflector carefully by peeling back the edges.



16. Slide door handle forward and then outward.
17. Remove power door lock harness from handle retainer.
18. Twist door handle to unhook door handle rod.
19. Obtain replacement door handle(s). Refer to PARTS INFORMATION in this bulletin.



20. Twist door handle to hook door handle rod into handle.
21. Install door handle into slots and slide rearward.
22. Install power door lock harness into handle retainer.
23. Snap lock rod into guide clip.



24. Install water deflector to previous holes and position.



25. Place door panel over top inner door structure.
26. Pull down to engage door trim panel to door structure.
27. Apply pressure to side retainers to secure panel to door structure.
28. Install door trim panel lower fasteners.

Tighten
Tighten the door trim panel lower fasteners to 1.5  N·m (13 in lb)

29. Install remaining door trim panel fasteners.

Tighten
Tighten the door trim panel lower fasteners to 1.5 N·m (13 in lb)




30. While holding the door handle assembly, connect the tweeter speaker wiring harness.
31. If equipped, route power door lock wiring harnesses through the door handle opening.
32. Install door handle with door handle fasteners tucking door handle under door pad upper weatherstrip.

Tighten
Tighten the fasteners to 1.2 N·m (10 in lb)

33. Snap door handle grip into place.
34. Snap tweeter speaker cover into place.



35. Snap mirror patch into place.
36. On non-power mirror-equipped vehicles, snap covers into place.
37. On power-equipped vehicles, connect power window and power mirror switch harness and snap switches into place.
38. On vehicles so equipped, function power mirror, windows, locks and speakers for proper operation.
39. Affix Campaign Completion Label on a clean and dry surface of radiator core support, in an area clearly visible when hood is raised. (For more information, refer to "CAMPAIGN COMPLETION LABEL" in this bulletin.)

Upon completion of the campaign, a Campaign Completion Label and a Clear Protective Cover should be affixed on a clean, dry surface of the radiator core support in an area clearly visible when the hood is raised. Each label provides a space to print in ink (or type) the campaign number (01C06) and the five (5) digit facility code of the Retailer performing the campaign service.

As a reminder, additional labels may be ordered from Saturn publications (1-800-828-2112, prompt 3, Item #S03 00013A for the Campaign Completion Label, and Item #S03 00013B for the Clear Protective Cover).

1. To receive credit, submit a claim with the information below:

2. To receive credit for loaner/rental car costs incurred while owner awaits campaign repair or other goodwill expenses, submit a claim with the information below:

3. Retailers are empowered to use good judgement regarding loaner/rental cars or any other goodwill expenses deemed necessary. It will not be necessary to call the Saturn Customer Assistance Center for authorization of goodwill. The Goodwill Worksheet (printed towards the back of this bulletin) must be used to document goodwill expenses. The completed Goodwill Worksheet must be attached to the hard copy of the CSO. Retailers are to make sufficient copies of the blank Goodwill Worksheet to document goodwill expenses.

4. Check your Saturn SERVICELINE.XL Claim Memorandum daily. Remember to code the claim as a WC sale type, and VC case type. Contact your field representative if you need assistance.

5. All labor operations claimed in this bulletin must be submitted on individual (unrelated) CSO lines. Refer to the Customer Service Order Preparation Manual for details on Product Campaign Claim Submission.

* The parts allowance should be the sum total of the current SSPO Retailer net price plus 30 percent of all parts required for the repair

** Campaign administrative allowance

*** Net amount must be submitted as a miscellaneous sale...Loaner reimbursement not to exceed $30/day

**** Enter number of days vehicle was rented...Not to exceed 1 day

As stated in the "Credit" section of this bulletin, Retailers are empowered to use good judgement regarding loaner/rental cars or other goodwill expenses that might become necessary for customer satisfaction.

Complete this worksheet and attach it to the hard copy of the Customer Service Order (CSO) to document all campaign goodwill claims submitted to Saturn.

VIN #

Dear Saturn Owner:

This notice is sent to inform you that Saturn is conducting a voluntary customer satisfaction recall campaign that affects certain 2000 Saturn L-Series vehicles.

Saturn has decided that certain 2000 model year L-Series vehicles have been produced with front-interior door handles that were constructed of a polymer material that may result in premature peeling of the chrome plating or breakage.

To prevent the possibility of this condition occurring, Retailers will inspect the front-interior door handles, and, if necessary replace the front-interior door handle assemblies. The inspection should take only a few minutes however, if replacement is required the repair will take approximately one hour. Please allow your Retailer some additional time for paperwork and processing.

Contact your Saturn Retailer as soon as possible to arrange for repairs.

The enclosed Campaign Reply card identifies your vehicle, and will facilitate completion of the repairs when presented to your Saturn retail facility. If your address has changed, please provide the new information in the space provided. This will assist us in ensuring that all affected vehicles are corrected.

Your Retailer is prepared to perform this service promptly and with minimal inconvenience to you. However, if your car is provided to the Retailer on the agreed service date and the condition is not remedied within a reasonable amount of time, please contact the Saturn Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-553-6000 prompt 3, or for the hearing impaired, 1-800-833-6000. We will assist you and the Retailer in getting your car serviced.

Again, we sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern this situation may cause you. We want you to know that we will do our best, throughout your ownership experience, to ensure that your Saturn provides you many miles of enjoyable driving.

Sincerely,

Saturn Corporation

01-C-06